Double Trouble: 74 Days

Day 74, February 6, 2012 our NICU stay was OVER! Ella was coming home! Another looong exhausting day. I had been informed by multiple nurses that after a certain amount of time off oxygen she could come home, which happened to be that Monday. I had called the nurse to check in, she was still good! Her sats were staying high! So I said lets get her home! I was ready! Plus over the weekend stupid Obamacare (not to be political) had opened up the NICU exposing her to more germs, people and no privacy. I was not having that! Even the nurses had told me to get her out!

So fast forward and I get there to start what turned out to be a long process because she had to have all her meds filled and apparently her dr wasn't planning for her to leave until the next day and nothing was called in. And then the pharmacy tells us it will take until late evening to get everything filled and they were completely out of one med, they'd have to order it. I was already so frustrated with the discharge procedure... one Dr. Evil, I won't name her came up to me out of the blue, having never spoken to me before and "demanded to know who told me after a certain amount of time she could leave? That I was forcing my dr to come in on his day off to do this discharge and I was being too demanding and I just BETTER appreciate this." to this day it's a good thing I haven't seen her again. My dr didn't seem to have a problem with it. Grrrr!

Thankfully one our favorite nurses was able to step in and help us out with the meds, and we were able to get everything we needed. My Grannie and Papa were there, having finally met Paige and dying to meet Ella. Since the process was going to be a long one we did go to the NICU early so Papa could meet her before he left. Chris went to get meds and then we went through the long discharge process of setting up appointments and making sure we knew all the med details... her instruction manual was bigger than Paige's. Who, by the way, was at home being completely spoiled by my mom and Grannie.
Finally, finally, finally...

Ella was out!
We walked in the door at home and mom and Grannie said hi and went to dinner giving us family time JUST US for the first time ever!

I think I cried all day! After 74 days of the NICU and the weeks and months before I finally had my family together! If only I had known what was coming a week later... but that's another blog. These were some of the first days reunited...